Beauty and the Geek
by RealGhostbuster1984
Summary: An unexpected encounter leads Sam to realise how much a certain nerd means to her...
1. Conversation by Starlight

**Chapter 1: Conversation by Starlight**

Sam Simpson sat at LaSalle's, an open-air ice cream parlour on the east side of Beverly Hills. She sat, playing absent-mindedly with the straw in her Coke. Every now and again, she glanced impatiently at her watch. Joey Rayburne, the Beverly High baseball quarterback she had a crush on, had agreed to meet with her for a date at seven o'clock, and it was now half past. She sighed, and chose to content herself by thinking of Joey's sapphire blue eyes and brilliant smile. She finished up another Coke and ordered another. No doubt Joey had a very good reason for his tardiness.

Another ten minutes passed by. "Not being punctual, I can understand. But this? Come on…" Sam thought to herself. This wasn't a good sign.

The next moment her mobile phone began to chirp. She flicked open the device and answered. "Hello?"

"Hi Sam," greeted a husky male voice.

"Hi Joey. Where the heck are you? You were due forty minutes ago!"

"Uh, yeah. I'm sorry, Sam. I can't make it."

Sam frowned. "Why not? Come on, Joey, you can't let me down." she said plantatively.

"No deal, I'm afraid. My car, like, totally conked out on me. That really sucks, you know?"

"Yeah, that's bad luck – wait, Joey, you don't own a car!" Sam's mind raced. "That voice in the background. Y-You're with another girl!" Sam had heard the tones of a female on the other end close by. And it hadn't sounded like the girl was asking him for the time.

"Hey, it's not what it seems, uh, OK?"

"How dare you," hissed Sam, rage twisting her voice. "I wasn't born yesterday, Joey Rayburne!" She hit the red button and thrust the phone with venom back into her handbag. She was immobilized for a moment, as images of her beating the tar out of Joey whirled before her eyes. They made her feel no better. The anger then passed, to be replaced by sadness and dejection. She had really liked Joey, she really had. She let a long breath out and let her head sink into her arms.

Suddenly her table bucked and her Coke spilled. The sticky beverage sloshed over her jeans. The culprit, an inebriated-looking teenager, scrambled away. This was the trigger. The next second Sam had burst into tears. It wasn't fair…it just wasn't…

"Sam?"

The young woman responded to the sound of the friendly voice. Standing by the table there, concern writ large on his face, was Arnold.

"What's wrong, Sam? I've, er, never seen you cry before," he proffered, struggling to pick his words carefully. Sam didn't answer straight away, instead him a puppy dog look through streaming eyes. "If you'd rather be alone, I'll – "

"No, I'm sorry, Arnold, don't go away." She was pleased to see him. If it couldn't be Alex or Clover, or her mom, then it may as well be Arnold. "I could use a friendly face right now. Why don't you sit down?"

"Oh, thanks. Here. Take this." He said, producing a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and offering it to Sam. A passing waiter provided some paper towels to clear up the spilled drink.

"Thanks, Arnold." She wiped the tears away and blew her nose, already starting to feel better.

"Something must've really upset you," said Arnold. "I mean, it's probably none of my business…"

Sam shook her head. "It's okay." It wouldn't hurt at all to tell Arnold. "This lowlife stood me up. Worse than that. He called me and I found out he was with some other girl."

"That's…very bad." Arnold replied. "How could he do that? To you, of all people?" He bit his tongue at that last bit.

"I guess it happens. Doesn't make it all that easier to swallow."

"I know." Arnold took a sip of his 7-Up. "I was stood up once. A couple of weeks ago."

Sam blinked at the young scientist. "You were on a date? I mean, uh…"

"It's okay. I guess it's sort of hard for you to imagine me on a date, heh." He took another gulp of his drink . "This girl –this really pretty girl from the twelfth grade – asked me out. You can imagine how flattered I was."

"And she stood you up?"

Arnold paused for a second before replying. "It was all a prank. All she wanted to do was have a bit of fun at the expense of the geekbait. Her and her boyfriend had a good laugh at me, all dressed up to the nines for a date that never was."

"That was just cruel," Sam said.

"Nah. It's nothing compared to what happened to you."

"Hmm."

"Pranksters are a dime a dozen, I mean, but it takes a mean, mean person to do what that…guy did."

There was a brief silence. Then Sam asked, "So, are you meeting anyone here?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I often come here. You know the owner, Ray LaSalle? He's a family friend. He studied with my Dad at Stanford. He lets me have free sundaes sometimes, so I come to work here. He gives me help when I need it too." Arnold smiled. "It's great."

"Interesting."

"Yeah, it's funny. Ray could have had a great career as a scientist, but he found the pressure too much. So he gave it up to work with his first love, ice cream." Off Sam's look of miscomprehension, he added, "Ray always was a bit of an eccentric. Maybe that's why he and my Dad got on so well." Arnold gave a chuckle.

Sam chuckled with him. "Yeah. I sometimes wish I had weird friends like that." She looked at Arnold. "So your Dad's a scientist as well?"

"That's right. All the men in my family have been. My Dad always pushes me to do my best in sciences. Sometimes I get the idea he thinks it's wrong for a Jackson to be anything other than a scientist." He played with his straw as he said this.

Sam flicked back her hair. "There are loads of scientists in my family tree too. Actually, my great-great-great grandfather was the King of Norway's court science scholar."

"Really?"

"Really," Sam replied. "My Dad always said that his family originally came to America to escape the King after he nearly blew him up in an explosion. I'm not sure whether that's true, though. I'd thought I'd tell you my little claim to fame."

"It's neat." Arnold relaxed in his chair, not sure of what to say next. The two took in the night around them. It was a clear evening, the twinkling stars out in force, an astronomer's feast. The Californian heat had slacked off and Sam felt the resultant coolness nice and fresh on her exposed arms. And the silvery moon cast its welcome glow over the scene. As Sam regarded Arnold, she was taken in by the sight of the moonbeam as it reflected in Arnold's hazel eyes.

Sam had never really thought of Arnold as good-looking before; his nerdy persona was always been too much at the fore so as to block that view. But seeing him here, Arnold was practically…_handsome._

No…he _was _handsome. Not in the same way as Sam and the girls' boyfriends usually were, the arresting, hunky, movie star sort of way, but in more of a soft, picture-frame kind. The kind of face a mother would want her ideal son to have. It was only accented by his casual clothes, a red open-neck T-shirt and black jeans. It suited him much better than those awful tank-tops he was commonly associated with. His reflective smile highlighted the angular, slight features of his youthful features. Sam was so preoccupied; she didn't notice a largish man approach the table.

"Hiya, Arnold!" Sam turned to see a jolly-looking sort of man in an apron standing there. Ray LaSalle. "What'll it be today, son?" His eyes rested on Sam.

"Oh, good evening, Ray. I'll have the Yukon Crunch Sundae tonight, I think." He paused before adding, "Oh, and this is Sam. Sam, this is Ray LaSalle."

"Hi. Pleased to meet you." Sam smiled at him.

"Likewise, young lady. Sam, that's short for Samantha, right?"

"Yep"

"Say," Ray's eyes twinkled. "Maybe it'd be more fitting if I got you two something to share, eh?"

"Sorry?" inquired Sam.

"Y'know, I have an eye for young romance. I thought…"

Arnold blushed. "Oh, no, no, we – uh, uh…."

Sam stepped in. "No, we're not on a date or anything."

"Ha! Could've fooled me." Ray didn't look much put out by his error. "Well, bye. Nice meeting you, Sam." He beat a hasty retreat. Arnold and Sam looked a little embarrassed.

"You'll have to excuse Ray, Sam. He's a master of the classic faux pas." explained Arnold. "It's more funny than anything, though."

Sam flicked back her hair again and stirred the ice in her drink. "Hilarious. He actually thought we were on a date." She chuckled.

"Well, we were once. Remember?" prodded Arnold, remembering the date Sam and he had been on the previous year, after Arnold had revealed himself to be 'A.J.', Sam's secret admirer.

Sam gave a look of recognition. "Yeah, I remember." There was silence for a few seconds.

"You didn't enjoy it, did you? Sorry I brought it up." spoke Arnold wistfully.

"It's alright. Actually, you were very charming, I thought."

"Oh, thanks. I…thanks." Arnold fiddled anxiously with one of his shirt buttons, a little taken aback by the endorsement.

"Don't mention it. It was sweet, the message you wrote and everything. I appreciated it, though it wasn't what I'd hoped for." Off Arnold's 'c'est la vie' gesture, she said, "But enough about that. Is there anyone special you have your eye on?"

"Well, um…" He looked a little uncomfortable. "No. Not at the moment. I-I'm concentrating on my studies at the moment."

"Whatever floats your boat."

Arnold then fixed his attention on the stars. Half a minute passed. Sam continued to look at him while sucking lazily on her straw. A year ago, she never would have imagined that she'd be having such a normal conversation with Arnold. But here she was, talking shop with him, and enjoying it. She had almost completely forgotten about Joey's betrayal – almost, of course – and was feeling much better. Thanks to Arnold.

"It's funny," Arnold then said, softly and gently so that Sam barely heard him.

"What's funny," she asked.

"It's funny that when we look at the stars, we're seeing them as they were five years ago. Speed of light, and all that." His voice was distant and thoughtful.

"It is."

"It's almost like…it's almost like we could reach out towards the stars, and reach out into the past." He spoke with a sort of geeky naïvety that touched Sam.

"You might say that." Sam smiled and leant forward. "Look, Arnold, I just want to say, you've made me feel much better tonight. You know, talking to you and everything." She blinked. "Thanks."

Arnold blushed a deeper shade of beetroot than he had earlier. "Thanks, Sam. I'm glad I can help."

"I've got to go now. I've got loads of work to do." It was true. This was their last year of grade school, and it was showing in the amount of work that was piling up. It definitely wasn't an excuse for her to leave. "I was kind of pushing it, coming on a date tonight."

"That's OK. I've enjoyed talking with you as well." Arnold's facial expression accentuated the sentiment.

Sam reached out and gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Bye, Arnold. See you in school tomorrow."

"See ya." Sam picked up her handbag and walked off.

It had turned out to be an interesting evening. She felt a little angry with herself for having burst into tears the way she had, but given the amount of work – both for school and for WOOHP – and the expectations she'd had for her date with Joey, it was understandable.

When she got home she busied herself with her history essay, and then finished off some science homework she had left over from the evening before. She then stretched out in front of the television before deciding she'd be better off going to bed.

She soon dozed off…a certain geek having dominated her thoughts right to the last spark of awareness.

_Next chapter_: Sam witnesses a confrontation...


	2. A Helping Hand

**Chapter 2: A Helping Hand**

"Awaken, brave sidekick! There's another day to be saved!"

Arnold Jackson was stirred from his slumber, as he was every morning, by the crackly baritone emanating from his alarm clock. The clock was styled after his favourite superhero, Commodore Chaos. Arnold reached out and disabled the alarm before swinging himself into a sitting position.

Yes, superheroes like Chaos had always been a part of his life. Much of Arnold's fantasy life centered around such characters, as they battled cackling, moustache-twirling villains in a world where good was good and evil was evil. It acted as a balance to the rational, scientific side of his mind.

But such whimsy played second fiddle these days to...her. Sam.

Arnold couldn't think of an hour that had passed without him thinking of the red-haired Venus that had stolen his heart over a year ago. After the date they had been on the previous year, he had attempted to squash down his attraction for her, convinced that he would never stand a chance with her. He had thrown himself into his studies, and concentrated on other girls, such as Mandy. But in the end, his attraction had only grown stronger. It was like pushing against a spring, the harder you pushed, the harder the spring appeared to push back. Many hours he had spent daydreaming of her, of her mane of flowing red hair, her full lips, and her gorgeous green eyes, and her soft voice that suited her ample kindness and intelligence perfectly. Often he'd fall asleep imagining would it would feel like to have her snuggled up beside him, her head on his shoulder, his arms around her, holding her tight, keeping her safe…

He couldn't stop thinking about last night and the conversation they had shared. Arnold looked down at his right hand, the one she had touched. It had been heaven, the feel ofher touch. It had struck pain right into his heart to see her upset the way she had been, and it had quenched his soul to be the one to make her feel better. Sam's gratitude at having someone to talk to had meant more to Arnold than she could ever imagine.

_If only I was the one, _thought Arnold. _If only she picked me, then I'd protect her from being hurt like that. I'd make sure of it._

"Arnold!" The voice of his mother lilted up from the kitchen downstairs. "Time for breakfast, sweetie!"

Arnold picked up his glasses from the nightstand and headed downstairs.

* * *

At Beverly Hills High, Sam, Alex and Clover met up in the foyer. 

"Ready for another extremely boring day?" trilled Clover. "Anyone want to bet on how many assignments we'll get?"

"Not really." said Sam. "Alex, did you get your History essay finished?"

Alex shrugged. "I think so. Mr. Schultz will probably say it's 'lacking in detail' again, though."

"Old Man Schultz? Easy for him to say, he probably lived through the events we're studying." Clover rolled her eyes. "Oh, Sam, how did your date go?"

"Yeah. You didn't call us last night," added Alex.

"Hmmph. What date," said Sam with obvious sourness.

Clover's eyes bulged. "You mean he cancelled?"

"Worse than that." She told the other two about the call from Joey.

"That was SO mean of him," said Clover in response. "If I'd been you, I would've hunted him down and MADE him pay."

"I might well have ended up doing that, if it hadn't been for…" She told Alex and Clover about her chat with Arnold. "You know, it was really nice talking to him. He was so nice. He told me about the buddy of his who owns the ice-cream parlour, and stuff. You might say I…got to see him in a different light."

"Whoa, slow down, Sammie," intoned Alex. "You'll be telling us you have the hots for him next."

The morning ambled by. They snored through Dr. "Wet Paint" Higginbotham's English class (he was nicknamed so because watching said substance dry was more interesting than his classes), stumbled through History, worked up a half-hearted sweat in Gym class and made it through to lunch break. At least Clover could entertain herself in History by casting dreamy glances at Ty Kruger, the hunky cheese farmer's son from Wisconsin. The day threatened excitement when they were buzzed by Jerry on the emergency delta-wave system, but it turned out the WOOHP chief had keyed in the wrong number ("Oops. Sorry, ladies. Not one of my better days, today.") Only Physics class remained.

* * *

"You reckon he'll be at Comic-Con this year?"

Arnold listened to his best friend, Eddie Lundegard, as he rearranged his locker. They were talking about a well-known comic book writer of whom they were both big fans. "He will be. He'll want to hear first-hand from fans about the Jurymen story arc – " He cut off as he spotted the person he was hoping – and at the same time, not hoping - to see. Mandy.

"Hiya, guys!" She cooed as she flounced down the corridor, waving her hair ostentatiously. She knew many of the nerds at Beverly Hills High worshipped her and she took delight at revelling in this worship, while at the same time being in total condescension of them.

Arnold cleared his throat. "Well, Eddie, what has to be done has to be done."

"I still think you're crazy, Arnold. Rumour has it the last geek who messed with Mandy ended up swimming with the fishes." Eddie replied.

"Maybe you should pay attention to fewer rumours then." Arnold followed Mandy until they were outside the toilets. "Uh, Mandy. Uh…"

"What is it, nerd? I mean, you have something to say, Arnold? Well say it then."

Arnold cleared his throat again. He must be mad, he thought. "Well, Mandy, I've, um, I've, uh…"

"Spit it out!"

Arnold did his best to compose himself. "Um. Well. I've thought about things, Mandy, and I've decided…I've decided some changes are gonna be made."

"Like what?"

"Like what? Well…now that you ask…The M.A.S. It can't go on any more."

Mandy blinked four times in rapid succession. "What do you mean, 'it can't go on'!"

"It's going to be shut down, Mandy." Arnold stumbled around. "Due to, uh, lack of funds."

"Lack of funds? LACK OF FUNDS?" Mandy was now losing her temper, as she was prone to doing often. Arnold knew about that well enough. "Don't bullshit me, Jackson!"

"OK, you got me." The nerd shrugged. "It's nothing to do with money." Then he really put his back into it. "The truth is, I just plain don't like you any more." When Mandy didn't react, he added. "None of us do. It's finished."

"Finish – Wha - ? How DARE you mess me around like this! You can't do this!" she shrieked. People were stopping to watch now.

Arnold wasn't deterred. "No, Mandy. It's over. I'm not putting up with it any more. None of us are."

"But I'm your queen! You need my permission to disband the M.A.S.!" Desperation was starting to creep into Mandy's livid tones. There were a lot of people watching now.

"No, Mandy. It's done. The banners and everything have been destroyed. And someone else has the hall after school hours. You've lost, Mandy. My only regret is I wasted so much time worshipping an ungrateful, twisted harpy like you."

Mandy was transfixed for a few seconds. Then she let out an unearthly shriek and lashed out with her fist at Arnold. Arnold foresaw the attack a little and managed to step back, but Mandy's vengeful fist still caught his chin a glancing blow. Unfortunately Arnold stepped back onto a marked area of floor made slippery by cleaning fluid and he slipped, falling back on his backside. Mandy looked ready to rip Arnold apart with her bare hands but a couple of her colleagues grabbed her and managed somehow to drag her away.

Babble broke out among the people who had stopped to watch. Arnold, in a daze, looked up to see everyone looking at him.

"Radical, man." drawled a surfer-type.

"You showed that Mandy!" cried Eddie.

"Never thought he had it in him…" said Donna, the biker girl.

"Way to _go_, Arnold!" He turned. It was Clover. And there was Sam, with her. There was that surging sensation in his stomach again…

Then Sam stepped forward, sliding assertively between the two people in front of her. Like an image from a dream… "Are you OK, Arnold?"

"I think so," replied Arnold, rubbing his chin. "You saw, huh?"

"Yeah, we did. Here," Arnold heart jumped as she reached out and offered him a hand. He took it and Sam helped him to his feet. Their eyes met. Arnold could see the expression in Sam's, one of admiration and respect. They smiled at each other briefly. Clover and Alex noticed this subtle exchange and shared a look.

Then the bell rang. Everyone began to make their way to class. In the case of the girls and Arnold, it was Physics class.

"So the Mandy Appreciation Society is no more, huh?" asked Sam.

"That's right." Arnold was buoyant. "I saw her for what she was. And luckily so did many of the other members. We put it to a vote and we won." He paused. "Oh, and Clover? I guess, uh, this makes amends for the incident last year.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give you the time of day." Clover replied.

They arrived at Lab 2-C and took their places before their steely-eyed teacher, Professor Walsh. "Good afternoon, class. Today, we shall be focusing on our next experiment." He turned and wrote out an equipment inventory on the whiteboard as he spoke. "The effects of intense heat on different types of alloys. This one should not be difficult, but please do not be complacent. You will once again work in pairs. Ah, let's see…Clover, you will work with Alex. Sam, you will work with Julio here." He indicated a straggly-haired youth. "Arnold, you will go with Essie." Essie Robbins, a nerdy but attractive girl with blonde pigtails, turned and smiled rather too sweetly at Arnold.

Sam suddenly felt a dull burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. It died away after a few moments, but it was enough to spook Sam. Was she…was she feeling jealous of Arnold?

She squashed this question down, greeted Julio and concentrated on setting up her experiment. But she couldn't help stealing furtive glances at Arnold and the cooing Essie. What? Why would she be feeling jealous over Arnold?

No, she didn't have an answer to that at all.


	3. The Photograph

Thanks again for reviewing, Shy FX and Mat49324. Anyway, here's the next chapter, a bit later than expected. This chapter was a little hard to write in places, but it's an important one so it was worth it...all feedback is welcome!

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Photograph**

_One month later…_

Sam slammed the door behind her. She was fed up.

After flopping down on the couch, letting out a sigh that came from deep within her, she soon slipped into a series of reminisces about her recent relationships. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that everyone of them had been the same. She remembered Dave, the fitness instructor, Marius the German exchange student, Raziel the surfer dude, and others. Each time it had started out fine. They'd go out to places, to cute little cafes and restaurants, to museums and fairs, and to beaches and woods. But eventually, over time, each one of these rent-a-hunks deep personality flaws would manifest themselves. Dave had never been able to stop talking about himself and his nascent gym franchise. Marius had simply been a jerk who continually tried to blame his transgressions on 'language difficulties'. And Raziel had liked the ladies a little too much.

And tonight's date had been a real slog. She had finally got a date with Louis, a guy she'd had her eye on the past two weeks, only to find he was the most self-obsessed meathead she'd ever met. Luckily, she'd somehow managed to excuse herself early.

Sam cursed inwardly. She was now eighteen years old. Shouldn't she be past chasing past any old pretty boy by now? Okay, she wasn't nearly as bad in that department as Clover, or even Alex. Indeed, she had always prided herself on being the more level-headed of the three when it came to boys. However, she still found herself powerless to resist when confronted with gorgeous guys. Maybe it was due to her hormones, or social pressure, or whatever. Some of Sam's friends had tried to convince her of the viewpoint that she didn't need a boyfriend. The problem being that Sam was and always had been a very romantic person at heart. The thought of being with someone, of having someone to share life's experiences with, of having a soulmate was one that appealed to Sam's softer side. It was an integral part of her personality.

_Dammit_, thought Sam. _Where are the REAL men out there?_

The telephone started to ring. Sam leapt up and grabbed the phone off the coffee table. "Hello?"

"Hi, Sam." It was her mother.

"Hi, Mom," replied Sam. "How's things?"

"Oh, swell, honey. Me and your Dad just got back from the mountain. The snow was great this year."

"Sounds great. Wish I could've been there." Sam's parents had gone to Colorado to visit her dad's relatives there, and they had taken full advantage of the change in scenery. Sam was envious.

"Now, Sam, you've got your studies to focus on. They'll be plenty of time to frolic in the hills next year."

Sam rolled her eyes. "I hate it when you're right, Mom."

"Now, now, you shouldn't, but I won't begrudge you. Anything bothering you?"

"No. Well, just a bit of boy trouble, but that's fairly routine these days."

Mrs. Simpson let out a sympathetic chuckle on the other end. "Oh, well, we'll talk about it when I get back. We've got to get on with the packing. It's an early night for us."

"Good idea. Did Aunt Charlene cook you her usual banquet?"

"Oh, of course. And then Uncle Sigmund got drunk on the cherry brandy your Dad brought him and scared the cleaning lady with an off-key rendition of 'She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain.'

Sam laughed. "Now I really wish I'd been there."

"You'll be able to come next year. Anyway, take care, Sam. Oh, and Sam? Did you ever get round to clearing out the attic?"

"Oh, no, I didn't. I could do it now."

"Do it, won't you dear. I don't know how much stuff we can fit up there. Anyway, see you tomorrow, Sam."

"Likewise, Mom. Have a safe flight." Sam hung up and thought of what she'd do next. She decided she might as well get on with the attic. The physical activity would help get her mind off things.

She changed into something more dust-friendly, grabbed a flashlight and headed up to the dingy attic. Before her lay enough cardboard boxes to sink one of the U.S. Navy's new atomic destroyers. Sam steeled herself for the task and got on with it. Soon the boxes of old birthday and Christmas cards, broken crockery, books and other stuff were lined up outside, where Sam would later load them into her car and take them down to the landfill site. Sam thought it was a shame in a way to get rid of them. There was always a sort of nostalgia bound up in old junk…symbols from the past acting as signposts to the present…

Sam noticed a picture lying in a crate filled with old newspapers. Wondering how it got there, she picked it up and took a look at it. It was a photograph inside a frame. It was old, probably from the 1970s. It depicted several nerdy-looking boys standing proudly to attention. The inscription accompanying the photo read, 'Grenada Hills Senior Chess Club Team, 1972-1973.'

Sam was trying to figure out what the picture's relevance was when she recognised one of the teenagers. It was her father. She recognised him from a picture she'd seen from his university graduation.

_My Dad? In the school chess club team? _thought Sam. _Maybe I'm stereotyping here, but that doesn't tally up. My Dad was always the class cool kid._

She put the picture in a safe place and made a mental note to ask her Dad about it.

* * *

The following day, Sam, Clover and Alex were at lunch, talking shop. They talked about Clover's new car ("Zero to Hot Guysville in 5 seconds!") Alex's new designer jeans, and Sam's love life over the past two or so years.

"Craig Caswell?"

"Jerk."

"Benny Flanagan?"

"Jerk."

"Tyler Parvez?"

"Gay."

"Joe Facelli?"

"Egomaniac."

"Gee, Sammie, you sure haven't had much luck." said Alex.

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, well, neither has Clover."

"Hey! I'm just trying to find myself, o-_kay_?" Clover trilled in defiance.

At that moment, Arnold walked past. "Hi Sam," he said before adding quickly, "Hi Clover. Hi Alex."

"Hi, Arnold." said Sam, beaming at him. Clover and Alex also mumbled greetings. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, I'm gonna have lunch, then I'm heading over to the IT department to give Mr. Sanders a hand."

"Sounds cool. Well, have fun."

"I'll try. See you round, Sam." He then added. "Sam. Clover."

"See ya around." called Sam after him.

There was a brief silence, which was broken by Alex's voice. "Say, you and Arnold have really been getting on."

"Yeah. He's a really sweet guy, Clover. I think you and Alex should maybe get to know him better. Plus, he's extremely intelligent. "

"Hmm, I think there are other things that would be a better use of my time." said Clover dismissively.

"C'mon, he's only a nerd. There are far worse things to be."

"Like what?"

Sam gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Like…oh, let's talk about something else. Are any of you thinking of auditioning for the school play this year?"

They talked about the upcoming school play, before they decided to go to the hall to take a look at the midday round of auditions. They were watching one kid give a particularly over-the-top rendition of Heathcliff from _Wuthering Heights _when a fake Victorian couch behind them - ostensibly part of the scenery which had been brought in - suddenly flipped back to reveal a gap through which the three girls were sucked. One wild ride later and they landed with a bump on the couch in Jerry's office.

"Good afternoon, ladies." greeted the man himself, who stood before his desk sipping calmly on a cup of tea.

"Hold up a minute, Jer'. How did you know we'd be in the hallway during lunch hour?" asked Sam.

"How, you ask? Simple. I'm the head of WOOHP. I know everything." deadpanned Jerry.

"OK, that's more than a little creepy," shot Clover at the other two.

"What's creepy, Clover, is what's been happening recently." He activated the electronic map behind him. "Tall blonde men have been disappearing all over the world and…"

* * *

Many hours later, Sam rested in her bedroom. The mission had mostly gone well. They had quickly traced the missing men to a mad scientist named Dr. Mackenheimer, a neo-Nazi who wished to create a new race of Aryan supermen. Things had gotten hairy towards the end when they had been forced to battle a few of Mackenheimer's prototypes, but thanks to a combination of their martial arts skills and clever use of gadgetry, they had succeeded. So, another job well done. Sam took satisfaction from that. She had just decided to finish off her English essay when… 

"Hey–hey, Sammie! How's my little princess?" Sam turned to see her Dad standing by her bedroom door. He and her Mom had arrived home earlier in the day, but the flight had done little to quell Harry Simpson's usual enthusiasm.

"I'm OK, Dad. I've got this cruddy English essay to finish," she lamented.

"Gah, old Wet Paint dragging you down again? Well hey! Come down later and we'll show you the video. Uncle Sigmund'll crack you up."

"Can't wait. Uh, Dad?"

"Yes, sweet pea?"

"Have you seen this picture?" She took the picture she had found earlier from her drawer and gave it to her Dad.

"Whoa! I mean, uh, no, I haven't seen this picture before. That is to say, yes, I have. Not – not that I know what it is of course." he stammered.

"That's you, isn't it?" She pointed his younger self out to him. "I know it is."

"Are you sure? There are loads of people who look like me." He threw up his hands. "Oh, OK, you got me. I was in the chess club."

Sam smiled at him. "Really? That's cool."

"Yes. I wasn't bad either."

"Ah. I see the class nerd is fessing up." Sam's mother appeared at the door, her arms folded, smiling in a devilish sort of way.

Sam was bemused. "Class nerd? Dad?"

"Oh, it's all true. It's all true!" the Simpson male declared in mock-anguish. "I was wondering when you were gonna work it out. Y'know, all those exaggerated stories about being the cool kid."

"God, it's so obvious now," said Sam.

"Believe it, honey. Your Dad was quite the nerd back in high school. Co-captain of the chess team…"

"President of the science club," added Dad proudly.

"And owner of the largest bow-tie collection in the ninth grade." threw in Mom.

Sam was stunned. Then she burst out laughing.

"Oh, Dad. I should've suspected." She got herself under control. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, you never asked." Harry Simpson paused in reflection. "Oh, those were the days. Of course, it was in high school that your Mom and I met." He stood next to his wife and took her hand. People said we'd never make it, me the nerdy science kid and Mom the fashion-obsessed popular gal. But by gum we did."

"We did indeed." She gave her husband a kiss.

Sam winced. "Hey, could you do that elsewhere, please?"

"Hey-hey. At least we didn't subject you to a cheesy 70s disco-based flashback." said her father.

Something registered with Sam in the back of her mind. "Indeed. Anyway, I've gotta get on with my essay now. I'll be down later. Can't wait to see the video."

"See ya then, sweetie." said her Dad as they left the room.

Sam quickly added. "Oh, and Dad? There's no reason to be ashamed,"

"Thanks, Sammie."

"No, I mean, nerds are great people really. There's one I know at school, and he's a great guy."

"More power to him, then I say." He left the room and headed downstairs with his wife.

Sam stood still for a moment before setting about her essay. She thought about what she had said about the nerd at school, who was, of course, Arnold. She meant what she had said about him. He was a great guy. Far and away a better guy than all these all-looks and no-substance guys she had been dating. As a matter of fact, and Sam wouldn't admit this to anyone but herself, she had often caught herself thinking of Arnold at random moments. And she still had these odd pangs of jealousy when she saw Arnold talking to other girls. Which wasn't all that common, thank God. They had worked together on experiments in their science classes, and Sam had enjoyed working with him every time. Gone were the days when Arnold's geeky little jokes and references would have grated on her. Nowadays she found them cute and endearing.

She thought about her Mom and Dad, and what it must have seemed like to their classmates, them two dating. She put down her pen and took another long gaze at the photo. Come to think of it, her Dad at age seventeen did bear a resemblance to Arnold, with his red hair. If the young man in the photo had been wearing glasses, then the resemblance would be striking.

It was all quite uncanny. _Me and Arnold are friends, that's all, _thought Sam.

_Yeah, then why do you keep thinking of him? _prodded her inner voice.

_Shut up, _thought Sam in return. She put her head down and ground on with her work, and thought no more of it. For the time being.


	4. Tickets For Two

Thanks for reviewing, ShyFX. I'd also like to thank sammie at the Totally Spies Picture Archive, for being so kind to beta-read the story so far. Anyway, here's the next part.

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* * *

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**Chapter 4: Tickets for Two**

On the beach near Sam's house, fun and laughter reigned supreme. The barbecue was in full swing, the sun was out, and most of all there were people. Beautiful, friendly people.

"So, Jason, what have you been doing with yourself?"

Sam addressed her old friend, a bronzed youth she and the other two girls had last seen two years ago. Jason Forbes had graduated the year before them, but not before he had become good friends with Sam…once she had gotten over her crush on him. Now he was back on a brief visit with his family in Los Angeles.

Clover sidled up next to him. "Saving the world? Getting the girl? Doing important work for the greater good of humanity?" she baited him, her voice rising in pitch..

"Well, not quite, though my charity work does take me all over the world." Jason took a sip of his cocktail. "It's tiring but rewarding. I wouldn't recommend it if you, uh, like your luxuries."

"Well, that rules us out then," said Alex.

David edged in, "Hey, don't I get a look in?" he said in mock-lament. "Say, the ribs are great, Sam."

"Thanks." said Sam.

Down by the sea, Britney and Dean were chatting merrily, enjoying the feel of the cool Pacific water as it lapped at their toes. _They get on so well, _thought Sam. Also present were Tomito, the Japanese exchange student Sam knew from Classic Lit class, and Robert, the boy from next door. All people Sam knew and got on with.

It would have been perfect if the other person she had invited had been able – or been allowed – to come along.

* * *

A couple of miles away, Arnold Jackson took a sharp breath in and let his head droop right forward into his hands.

He couldn't stand it anymore. The torture. The torture of seeing her every day. The torture of seeing her chat and flirt with boys more handsome and socially adept than he. The times he would allow himself to build his feeble hopes up just a little, only for them to crumble again. It was an unending cycle.

He was especially miserable today. His beleaguered mind flashed back once again to the disappointment of the previous day…

_Flashback to Friday Chemistry class…_

Sam and Arnold were working together on the day's experiment. Suddenly Sam asked something that took Arnold completely by surprise.

"Arnold," began Sam a little hesitantly. "I was thinking. I'm holding a beach barbecue round at mine tonight."

"Hmm," said Arnold, who was measuring out a half-beaker full of carbonic acid. "That sounds like fun."

Sam moved a little closer to him and dropped her voice a touch, so Clover and Alex wouldn't hear her. "Well…I thought…maybe you'd like to come along."

SMASH! Arnold dropped the beaker.

"Gee, you're such a klutz, Arnold-o," sneered Clover from across the workbench, though without venom. Sam and Arnold grabbed some towels and, ignoring the glances from the rest of the rest of the class, cleared up the split chemical. Luckily the acid was not strong. Arnold took the chance to sneak a response to Sam.

"Me? At one of your beach parties? Gee, thanks," said Arnold. "But if you don't mind me asking, what makes you invite me?"

"As a token of friendship," replied Sam. "Besides, you've kinda been looking a bit down recently. I think it might do you good."

Arnold smiled with joy and adjusted his glasses.

"Well, in that case I'd love to come," he declared.

At that precise moment the bell rang. "It's after school, about a hundred metres from the Divers' Bluff bar. Don't be late." she said cheerfully.

Arnold beamed at her. She looked so gorgeous in her white lab coat. Well, she always looked gorgeous, but the lab coat suited her so well. They cleared up and then said goodbye. Arnold felt something burn deep down inside him as he watched Sam slip out of the white garment. Then they left…

Later, Arnold was fixing himself a 7-Up from the vending machine when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Sam in heated conversation with Clover and Alex. They were partly blocked from view by a stand advertising the annual Woollerton's donation drive, but Arnold could still their faces clearly enough. Looking at them, he could see that Clover, and to a lesser extent Alex, did not appear to be much impressed by whatever Sam was saying. He got his drink and walked past them.

"Hi, Sam. Hi, girls." He always addressed Sam separately from the others.

"See you in class, Sam," said Clover immediately. She and Alex made to split.

"Hi, Arnold. About the, uh, barbecue invitation. I think it might be better if you didn't come."

Arnold's stomach turned over. "Why not, Sam?"

"Well, I don't think you'd like it. I mean, there'll be people like who won't appreciate you being there."

"What, like Clover?" Arnold said the name with a hint more anger than he intended.

"Well, no, other people," said Sam evasively. "Besides, I don't think it'll be your scene. I'm sorry, Arnold. Maybe we could do something else some other time."

"Maybe we could," spoke Arnold emotionlessly.

"Anyway, see ya, Arnold. Please, don't be too disappointed." Sam gave him a brief smile and then walked away.

Arnold stared after her. He wasn't disappointed. He was _gutted._

_Flash-forward to present…_

Well, something positive had come out of it. Sam had wanted him to be at her party, as, she had said, a token of friendship. That gave Arnold hope.

How could he tell Sam how he felt about her? Surely there must be some way…

Arnold lifted his head, opting to stare blankly at the wall instead as he tried to envision ways of trying to tell her. Maybe he could do it when they were alone together, maybe in a nice, quiet, peaceful place.

Or maybe not. God, he needed to deal with it somehow. It threatened to burn him up and consume him from within. People had destroyed themselves because of love. Arnold didn't want that to happen to him.

The young scientist let out a long, frustrated breath. He decided that a shower was what he needed right now. He headed for the bathroom, stripped off and stood himself under the hot, comforting water. That small space had become his refuge over the past few months. A place where he could shut himself away from the cold, hard, world and its cast iron realities. He loved the sensation of the water beating down upon him, not too harshly, not too softly, almost embracing him with its warmth.

Sometimes he wished he could stay there forever.

* * *

"So he calls up the rental agency and says he wants the car collected. They ask him where he is, and he says 'It's at the bottom of the pool, - yeah, at the bottom!" And they went there with a huge crane and fished it out!"

The teenagers crowded around the barbecue laughed at Jason's latest anecdote. The sun was setting and the sky had broken into a gorgeous mosaic of red and gold. Dean and Britney turned up at that moment.

"Say, you two have been gone a while."

Dean answered, "Oh, we just took a walk around the edge of the lagoon."

Britney cut in, "Yeah…you can see the uh, sunset even better from round there."

David cocked an eyebrow. Jason motioned to Sam. "You wanna walk with me a bit, Sam?"

"Sure."

They wandered for a little, a few metres from where the waves sloshed lazily at the stubborn sands.

"Say, Sam, uh, why don't we go out at the weekend? Y'know, just as friends?"

Sam beamed at him. "I'd love to. Anything you have in mind."

"Well, I know you like fast cars. And I've got two tickets to the Turbo Formula race at Sun City Speedway."

"Sounds like a change of scene. I like it." replied Sam.

"I'm glad you do."

"And some race it is. It's the inaugural Sun City night race. It's gonna be quite an event." He sounded very enthusiastic about the whole thing.

"What time is it at?"

"Eight. We'll meet up at seven, that time we'll be in time for the warm-up."

Sam was pleased. It would be great to spend some time with Jason.

* * *

Sunday morning and another WOOHP mission had been and gone. This time they had to stop Alfredo the Ice Cream Man from taking control of the nation's youth using special drugs. Everything had gone well up until the point where Sam took a dose of Alfredo's "confusion" gas, the result of with she had mistaken the factory's elderly janitor for a handsome prince and badgered him for a date. No way were Alex and Clover going to let her live that one down.

"You two ready for your double date tonight?" asked Sam as they walked back to her mansion.

Clover put her arm round Alex. "Ready as we'll ever be. I'd ask you if you have a date, but I think you answered that one earlier." She and Alex broke up into peals of laughter.

Sam was unimpressed. "OK, joke's over."

"C'mon, Sammie, there's nothing wrong with dating older men," said Alex. "Maybe if it doesn't work out with Mr. Janitor Dude, maybe we could fix you up with Jerry." More laughter followed.

"Ewww!"

"Hey, Sam, I thought you were hot for British guys," quipped Clover.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I think I'll try and pretend you and Alex are funny." She paused for a few seconds. "Nope, can't do it."

They arrived at Sam's. The redhead went to the answer machine and hit the 'receive' button.

"_You have one new message." _Sam hit the 'play' button. The message was from Jason.

"_Hi, Sam, it's Jason here. Look, Sam, I'm not gonna be able to make it_ _to the race tonight. I've had to fly off to India, they need me at this well project there. Some of the guys have come down with food poisoning and they're short on men. I'm really sorry, OK?"_

Sam's heart sank. _"Maybe you could go with someone else, yeah? I've left the tickets in your mailbox. Anyway, look, I'll try and see you again soon. Bye, Sam."_

"Trouble, Sam?" asked Sam.

"Jason's had to leave in a hurry. They need him in India. Some luck," said Sam. "They must've needed him pretty badly."

Alex laid a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Guess he's just like us in a way, jetting off to the tropics, helping people."

"Well, never mind. I'm sure he'll call some time." Sam managed a smile, and then made a move towards the refrigerator. "Now, who wants ice-cream?"

Alex and Clover groaned.

* * *

A bit later Sam paced in her bedroom, wondering. It would be a shame to let the tickets go to waste. But who to take with her?

Arnold. It would be nice to spend some time with him, and it would make up for effectively being blackballed from the barbecue. Sam had been determined firstly to pry him away from the exorbitant amount of work he had been surrounding himself with, and secondly to cheer him up. She had noticed him looking rather forlorn at times, and she had hoped things were all right with him.

The strange feelings she had being experiencing had receded, to be replaced by a strong admiration and respect. After all, Arnold was intelligent, polite, and friendly, qualities sorely lacking among the surfer-dude set at Beverly Hills. He was worth the attention. Mind you, he could bite when provoked, when Clover, and more dramatically Mandy, had found out...

She got out her mobile and dialled his number. The reply soon came. "Hello?"

"Hi, Arnold."

"Sam? Oh, hi! It's great to hear your voice." _He certainly sounds glad_, thought Sam. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing really. Um, Arnold? Would you like to come out with me tonight?"

There was silence on the other end.

"I mean, not as a date or anything. I mean, you know, just two friends having a good time. Besides, I feel really bad about not letting you come to the barbecue. Although it wasn't really my idea."

A little more silence and then, "Wow, you really mean that?" Sam could hear the tremble in his voice.

"Yeah. I wouldn't call you otherwise, would I?"

"Sure. So, wh-what do you have in mind?" Arnold was having difficulty keeping his voice even.

"Well, I have two tickets to the night race at Sun City tonight. Do you like cars?"

Arnold swallowed rapid-fire. "Well, my dad's a huge motor racing fan. I'm not, but I like to watch the races on TV. It's the only sport I really have an interest in."

"Well, I'm not a huge fan either, but I thought it would be something different for a change. So, are you game?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Sam! Uh, what time shall we meet?"

"Seven o'clock, at the racetrack fairground?"

"Sounds good to me." Sam was enthused by Arnold's tone of voice.

"See you then."

"I'm r-really looking forward to it. See you then."

Sam hung up, feeling buoyant. A pleasant evening lay ahead, in the company of a guy she liked and respected. After all, why couldn't a girl and a boy go out together without it being a romantic thing?

She flicked her hair back and walked into the living room. "Looks like I will be going out tonight after all."

"Good on you, Sam. Who with?" asked Clover.

"Uh, his name's – " She couldn't say Arnold. She scrambled for another name. "Jer – " No! That wouldn't do. "Gerald. That's his name." _Why couldn't I have just said Arnold?_ thought Sam.

"Never heard of him," said Alex.

"Oh," said Sam tentatively, "No, you wouldn't have. He…keeps to himself."

She took up her place on the couch and began chatting with her girlfriends.

* * *

Arnold put down his phone. He was feeling dizzy and he was breathing heavily. He had to sit down. Instead he flopped down on his bed. _Oh, boy!_ he thought. A whole evening with Sam…he could hardly believe his luck.

He had been unable to shift the gloom all weekend, mumbling halfheartedly to his parents whenever they addressed him, staring at inanimate objects with bizarre intensity, unable to focus on his schoolwork or enjoy doing things like reading comic books like he used to. Now it was as if some higher power was rewarding Arnold for his suffering.

_I must get a grip on myself, _Arnold told himself. _I don't want to ruin things by blurting out to Sam that I love her. Or something like that._

He took some deep breaths and sat up. His parents would let him go; of course, there would be no problem there.

God, he'd nearly fainted when Sam had asked him. How he had stayed on his feet he had no idea. That could have been embarrassing. He looked over at the clock on his desk. The time was two o'clock. Five hours.

Five very tense, nervous and excited hours, no doubt.


End file.
